4-DR Convertibles?

Russell:



The production of vehicles to military or US government specification is a common practice for US vehicle companies. Requests for and delivery of vehicles not available to the general public has been common place and continues today. Your discovery of a reference to a Hudson vehicle not shown in public literature is interesting. Did these vehicles become reality? I do not know, finding a surviving example would put to rest the question of manufacture. Alas without that tangible proof one is left to wonder. I am aware of several military specific vehicles produced during the 1940s, and produced by US car companies, which while based on the same models sold to the public were indeed unavailable to the public at the time of manufacture. Staff and field vehicles as well as embassy support vehicles fit these unique criteria.



Good luck in your search.

Interesting thread. I, too, have seen an obscure reference to 4 door convertibles ending in '42 and long searches have turned up no more information. But, it did put wheels into motion in my head. I am (slowly) working on a '42 Commodore Eight Club Coupe and had several years ago purchased a '42 Commodore Six 4 door sedan as a parts car. Well, I've since acquired enough parts that I really didn't need the sedan and made some attempts to sell it with no luck. I have always enjoyed rare and unique makes and body styles and had done a lot of staring and thinking on this sedan. A few months ago, I took a deep breath and started on it, too. So now I have two projects going simultaneously: the '42 Coupe and a phantom '42 sedan convertible. Unsuccessful in finding any convertible sheetmetal, top mechanism or vent window assemblies, I borrowed from other makes. I'm being very careful to change, straighten, and blend body lines around the tops of the doors so that it does not look like a sedan with the tops of the doors chopped off. So, you die-hard Hudson guys like myself will know something's not quite right compared to a real Hudson convertible. But, at first glance, it ought to turn a few heads. My plan is to build a car that will look as close as possible to have come from the factory. And, then I want to drive it and enjoy it as a Hudson should be.



Pics are just after removing the top and rear door tops. I've since acquired the top mechanism and am working on installing it. I've installed convertible vent windows and redesigned the tops of the doors. Both my 42 projects are moving slowly. I'll try to get some updated pics sometime soon.

Great Project!



The look of a 4 door convertible sedan can be found in the following picture of a 41 Packard. Note the formal roof and the removable center section between the windows. You might get away using the existing window shape by encasing the edge in stainless?







Good Luck

Jon B wrote:

I've always wondered why more Hudson guys didn't try their hand at "fantasy Hudsons" (body styles that never were), using derelict Hudsons as a basis. I've always wanted to see a StepDown woody wagon (well, someone finally DID do that one!) and a StepDown 4-door convertible. The idea of a pre-stepdown touring car never entered my mind. So, this should be an interesting project.



Up to the introduction of the StepDowns, all Hudson convertibles had the header (the part of the convertible top that sits on the windshield) made of wood, so you have complete "poetic license" on that, and whatever you do there will look original. You'll need a "long reach" in your top irons, from the rear of the back door to the windshield. but I'll bet some of those mammoth 70's convertibles would have the distance you require. You just need to shrink the width of the top irons, because those cars were a lot wider than the pre-war Hudsons.



The biggest problem, I'd think, would be how to get the rear door window to "fill the gap" formerly occupied by the metal frame of the door. The window would have to move forward as it raised, so that eventually it met the back of the front door's window. This, of course, would leave a gap behind the back door window, where the raised convertible top would reach past the door opening to seal against the window.

Jon,



Here's how they did it on nearly all sedan convertibles I've seen and how I plan to do it as well. The pic is a 39-41 Buick sedan convertible which I am going to very closely simulate. The 'posts' between the front and rear door windows was removable when the top was to come down. This allows all door windows to go straight up and down. I will make these using the actual door window frames grafted together to further get a 'factory' look. The inner door post (jamb) between front and rears are reinforced with a panel across the car that blends into the back of the front seat. I've already installed exterior hinges (from 31 Chevy) on the back of the rear doors like those used on these cars. The top frame I'm using is from a '61 Chevy convertible, plently long and wide with a long back window area. Yep, it'll require a good deal of stretching here, narrowing there, redesigning, etc. but hey, it's all fun! Door window frames are 55-57 chevy hardtop/convertible frames cut and modified to fit. I am actually seeing this thing completed in my mind, but it's gonna be a lot of fab work. I really do wish I could come up with a convertible windshield chrome divider bar. They were shorter than the non-convertible bars and no way to cut this one down without it looking cut (potmetal). Not that the windshield looks bad as it is now but just another detail to keep it close to what Hudson would have done.

Some progress pics of the 42 Commodore sedan convertible project. These show before and afters of where I'm heading on installing the vent window assemblies, windshield post modifications (windshield not yet chopped), rear door outside hinges installed and how I'm changing the body lines around the side windows (eliminating that line where the quarter windows used to be). Still some work on cleaning up the line where it ends at the rear door hinges.